n Mousaion - Google and the myth of universal knowledge, Jean-Noël Jeanneney (Translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan) : book review

Abstract

The present book was originally published in France in 2005, under the title Quand Google défie l'Europe : plaidoyer pour un sursaut. Literally translated, this means : "When Google challenges Europe : plea for a jumpstart". This title already positions the book as a European response both to American cultural imperialism and to the impact of global capitalism. In the Foreword, the Canadian librarian and archivist Ian Wilson points out that some of the values that underpin Jeanneney's discourse are contained in the UNESCO Universal Declararion on Cultural Diversity, adopted in October 2005. The declaration states, amongst others, that "cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature", and, "the defense of cultural diversity is an ethical imperative, inseparable from respect for human dignity" (p x).